96 F150 4.9L

Bought the truck about 6 months ago...no problems except for bad oil pan gasket.

Runs perfect. The oil pressure has always been in the same spot...a little above the half way point at the "M" in "NORMAL".

Is that ok? Everybody on here says there's is right in the middle?

The only reason I'm asking is that my oil pan gasket is gone again and I need to replace it. I read somewhere that this could be caused by "blow by" or something that's blowing the gasket out w/ too high of an oil pressure...meaning the engine is about to be toast.

I don't believe that's what is going on since I have no smoke or leaks anywhere else...but I'm paranoid about it.

I didn't "torque" the oil pan bolts to perfect specs, so this might be why it blew out again...but I don't know.

 

The stock oil pressure gauge isn't real, it's just an idiot light disguised as a gauge. What I mean is that the sender is just an on/off one. The gauge either goes straight to the middle, or drops all the way to "L" if it drops below 6psi.

You can convert the stock gauge to a real one with a small piece of wire, and replacing the sender with a real one, just get one with the same threads and you should be fine.

Or you could just disconnect the stock one, buy a real oil pressure gauge at the auto store for $20, and use that.

I don't imagine a high oil pressure would cause a gasket blowout, since the oil sitting in the pan isn't under pressure. Torquing the bolts evenly is most important, not so much the exact number. Also, going in an opposite-bolt tightening pattern keeps even pressure on the gasket so it seats properly. Tighten all the bolts on one side before the other and the gasket gets squished over to one side and ends up failing or leaking.

You really can't get too-high oil pressure, there's blow-off vavles to prevent that, they dump extra pressure just back into the pan.

 

I 2nd that!
The stock gauge is crap. Get a good one from Autometer and you'll really see whats going on. Should range from 40-60 psi.
As far as the oil pan gasket...make sure that pan isn't warped. A good stock replacement is roughly $60-80. I'm sure you could find a new one on Ebay. And also spend the extra loot for the 1 piece oil pan gasket.

 

Mine actually works, it just doesn't tell me what the pressure is which is why I bought an aftermarket one. If it is the normal range, don't worry about it.